Friday, August 31, 2018

Cruz and Mila Play Baseball


We just closed out a late summer season of baseball, Cruz participating in his last year of coach-pitch "A-Ball," and Mila starting her t-ball debut as an Atlanta Brave.  Beau has always coached Cruz's teams, and was excited to lead Mila's team toward victory as well.  Or at least teach them how to stop at each base and not all run, dive, and huddle on each ball hit on the field. ;)  T-ball is my favorite!

Cubbie colors abound!



I told them to look tough. :)


We signed both kids up for the Monday/Wednesday league, Mila practicing at 5:30 and Cruz following at 6:45.  Perfect.  But then when we got the game schedule, we realized Cruz's games were scheduled to start at 6 each night, making it impossible for Beau to coach both teams, and putting us in quite the pickle when it came to watching them both play.

It wasn't what we had in mind, but we made the most of our baseball nights and both kids had a lot of fun.  


Mila was a hilarious little t-ball player.  She's mostly all girl, so her in a t-shirt was funny enough to get used to.  She wasn't too sure about things after her first practice, declaring she didn't like being too sweaty.  But then later as we were walking over to Cruz's diamond, she told me a little story of her wanting to quit, but then remembering a Barbie episode where Barbie wanted to quit a singing competition but her sister Chelsea encouraged her to see it through.  And that's my girl, channeling her inner Barbie!




Her first game, she hit the ball, ran the opposite direction, and then after they got her turned around toward first base, she touched the bag and turned around to go back to the dugout!  But she never stopped grinning and the next at-bat, she knew just what to do!  Although she still hasn't figured out how to put the glove on correctly, she showed a lot of improvement and learned a little about baseball and most importantly, being on a team.  Highlights of her season included the time she finally beat the boys and got to field a ball, and the end of every game where she got to give high fives and say "good game" to all the players.  And when Grandma came and brought popcorn. ;)  







Cruz was on the Cubs this year and had a fun little team made up of 1st and 2nd graders.  He showed definite improvement with his swing and his fielding, and enjoyed getting the chance to play with his cousin, Hayes, this year.  Highlights for him included his very first game of the season where he hit a double at each at-bat, getting three outs in four at-bats at the last game, and celebrating with popsicles at the end of each hard earned fight!   









Erica and Brenda came to watch a game and Erica took some of the cutest pictures of the kids.  I love taking photos, but it's such a treat for me when someone else shares their eye.  








These two pictures might just be my favorites of the season.  Mila just being Mila, with all the chaos that is t-ball in the background.  There are a dozen kids playing in the dirt at any given time.  It's hilarious to watch!












Mila's in-field position was my favorite.  She was mostly ready, until she wasn't!





That's a wrap!

Summer Vacation 2018 || Our Final Day


It was our last day in Lake Tahoe and there was a gem of a place we hadn't seen yet.  One of our favorite memories from our last time we were in Tahoe was when we sort of stumbled upon Emerald Bay.  We set out to drive around the lake that day, but once we made the hairy drive up and around the mountain that comes right up on the view of Emerald Bay, we decided to forgo our plans for driving because we were quite sure we had landed in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Cruz was not even two yet, and we have such good memories of showing him this view, then him riding on Beau's shoulders as we made the steep descent down the mountain, and then falling asleep on the walk back up!  And this time, he climbed to the highest peak, not on Beau's shoulders but running just a little ahead of him.  

And the view was just as I remembered it.  It takes my breath away!
















We had so much fun rafting on our first day there that we decided to join a crew from Farm Bureau and do it all over again!  This time, we had three big rafts full of people ages 2 to 62, and enough food to live on for weeks!  We took our time down the river, and only lost a shoe, a paddle, and two people when the rapids got a little crazy at the end!  Don't worry, the people survived.  The shoe?  I'm sure it's in the ocean by now.   



And last but not least, our final night of vacation was spent celebrating our Dad, the company he works for, and all the families we've come to know quite well in the years he's been there.  These trips are just as much for the kids as they are for the agents who earn them, and this celebration was one of my favorites.  It was a good ol' country barbecue, with red checkered tablecloths, succulents planted in camp blue enamelware, and all the fixings for an all-American cookout.  There were face-painters, a perimeter of carnival games to play, photo booths with props, a mechanical bull and a sharp-shooter entertainer to wow the kids all night long.  There was a live country band, line dance teachers, wild animals to pet, and s'mores to eat.  It was pretty unbelievable and the kids were over the moon!  

Pre-gaming before the festivities started...




And here they are in kid heaven!  Pictures from our night...
















And that's a wrap!  Vacation 2018 is in the books!  




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